NOT MADE in ITALY
Gourmet Traveller|April 2022
JORDAN KRETCHMER meets the producers that draw on Italian food-making traditions, but with an Australian edge.
JORDAN KRETCHMER
NOT MADE in ITALY

Lucia’s

Pizza sauce, pasta sauce and tomato passata

Bottling summer’s best harvest of ripe Roma tomatoes has been a long-term job and legacy for Lucia’s Simon Bugeja. “Lucia was my nonna, and my grandfather Pasquale was a prisoner of war, who fought for Italy and got sent to Australia,” says Bugeja. “He eventually ended up in Shepparton growing tomatoes.” In 1953, when Lucia and Pasquale moved to Adelaide, they began cooking pizze and making their own tomato passata. Pizza was virtually unheard of in Adelaide, and there was nowhere to get quality passata. “Nonna would never use a pre-made sauce, she’d make it in the summertime when the tomatoes were in season.” Curious neighbours and friends, coupled with the global rise of pizza in cities like New York, meant there was a hunger for the humble pie, and soon after, in 1957, the couple opened one of South Australia’s first pizza restaurants – Lucia’s Pizza and Spaghetti Bar – in Adelaide Central Market, which is still open today. Decades on and the passata-making tradition was passed on to Lucia’s grandchildren, who, from the backyard of the family home, made the sauce to supply the restaurant. Eventually, the grandchildren decided to hire out a commercial kitchen in the hopes of making the process more streamlined. It wasn’t long before the tomato sugo became one of the square focuses of the family business, with Lucia’s sauce range launching in 2002. To this day, the family still get their Shepparton tomatoes, looking for the same qualities their grandfather did back in the ’50s. “We look for tomatoes with little water, mainly pulp and high sugar content. They are hand-picked ripe – and it makes a great, sweet, consistent sauce.” lucias.com.au

Salumi Australia

Esta historia es de la edición April 2022 de Gourmet Traveller.

Comience su prueba gratuita de Magzter GOLD de 7 días para acceder a miles de historias premium seleccionadas y a más de 9,000 revistas y periódicos.

Esta historia es de la edición April 2022 de Gourmet Traveller.

Comience su prueba gratuita de Magzter GOLD de 7 días para acceder a miles de historias premium seleccionadas y a más de 9,000 revistas y periódicos.

MÁS HISTORIAS DE GOURMET TRAVELLERVer todo
From personal experience
Gourmet Traveller

From personal experience

Former Hope St Radio chef ELLIE BOUHADANA invites you to gather your loved ones and enjoy an evening of good food and laughter with recipes from her new cookbook, Ellie's Table.

time-read
8 minutos  |
September 2024
Kimberley Moulton
Gourmet Traveller

Kimberley Moulton

Kylie Kwong celebrates the individuals helping to grow a stronger community. This month, we applaud the international curator and Yorta Yorta woman who is shining a light on First Peoples.

time-read
3 minutos  |
September 2024
Tom Wallace
Gourmet Traveller

Tom Wallace

We share a drop with the head winemaker for Devil's Corner, Tamar Ridge and Pirie Sparkling, a master of cool-climate grapes.

time-read
1 min  |
September 2024
Best in class
Gourmet Traveller

Best in class

The top drops to keep an eye out for on wine lists (and why they're worth the splurge)

time-read
3 minutos  |
September 2024
A taste of refuge
Gourmet Traveller

A taste of refuge

Fleeing war and persecution, Australia's new arrivals push our food culture forward. DANI VALENT explores the contributions of the country's refugee communities.

time-read
4 minutos  |
September 2024
BE OUR GUEST
Gourmet Traveller

BE OUR GUEST

Inspired by the sense of place conjured by Europe's Michelin-star restaurants, local restaurateurs are expanding their hospitality remit to include accommodation

time-read
6 minutos  |
September 2024
Barcelona BUZZ
Gourmet Traveller

Barcelona BUZZ

A popular drawcard for digital nomads and expats alike, the Catalonian capital offers equal parts sophistication and fun. Here, DANI VALENT discovers the latest dining hotspots.

time-read
4 minutos  |
September 2024
HEATHCOTE BOUND
Gourmet Traveller

HEATHCOTE BOUND

MICHAEL HARDEN hits the road to explore regional Victoria's Heathcote, home to this year's Best Destination Dining and a host of other delights.

time-read
4 minutos  |
September 2024
The art of...relishing restaurants
Gourmet Traveller

The art of...relishing restaurants

Does working in hospitality make someone a better or worse diner

time-read
3 minutos  |
September 2024
HEART AND SOUL
Gourmet Traveller

HEART AND SOUL

Not a vegetable but rather a flower bud that rises on a thistle, the artichoke is a complex delight. Its rewards are hard won; first you must get past the armour of petals and remove the hairy choke. Those who step up are rewarded with sweet and savoury creaminess and the elusive flavour of spring. Many of the recipes here begin with the same Provençal braise. Others call on the nuttiness of artichokes in their raw form. The results make pasta lighter and chicken brighter or can be fried to become a vessel for bold flavours all of which capture the levity of the season.

time-read
7 minutos  |
September 2024